Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
MENTONE - By a vote of 4 to 1 Monday, the Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. Board of Trustees approved the contracts and salaries for administrators, head coaches and program directors, with two modifications.
Superintendent Dr. Karen Boling's contract was extended to 2003, but she will receive a 2 percent raise instead of a 3 percent raise. Her current contract was to expire in 2002. Her current salary of $86,520 for 1998-99 will raise to $88,250 in 1999-00 and to $90,015 for the 2000-01 year. Salaries are retroactive to July 1, 1999.
The other modification approved by the school board was for the salary of Transportation Director Tom Shively. His 1998-99 salary is $35,000 and will be retroactively raised for 1999-00 to $36,750 instead of the proposed $37,500. His salary for 2000-01 will be $38,500 instead of the proposed $40,000.
Assistant Superintendent Daniel Kramer's salary will be raised from $74,380 to $76,610 and to $78,908 in 2000-01. Elementary principal salaries range from $61,000 to $64,000 in 1999-00 and from $62,830 to $65,920 in 2000-01. High School Principal Charles Mills' 1998-99 salary is $70,685 and will raise to $72,805 in 1999-00 and to $74,989 in 2000-01. Athletic Director Duane Burkhart's salary is $55,230 and will raise to $58,581 by 2000-01.
Salaries for support services directors in 1999-00 range from a low of $36,750 for Shively to a high of $56,650 for technology director Brad Hagg. With the proposed 2000-01 figures, their salaries will range from $38,500 to $58,350, respectively.
In May, with only four board members present, the board split 2-2 on whether to approve the contracts or continue them until the new school board met in June. Board members Mark Wise and Rod Eaton wanted to vote on salaries when the new members of the school board were in position. Meanwhile, board president Bruce Andrews and Fred McSherry wanted to approve the salaries and contracts in May. Board member Tom Weaver was not present.
Both Andrews and McSherry lost in the election in May and their last board meeting was Monday. The board decided to meet in as many executive sessions as necessary to work out the conflict and then vote on the contracts and salaries this month.
With Monday's vote, only Wise voted against approving the salaries and contracts as presented with the two modifications. Eaton wanted to abstain, but Boling told him because it was contracts, he had to vote. He voted in the affirmative.
The only board member who spoke on the contracts and salaries before the vote was Weaver.
"I look at tonight as everyone's dream come true," said Weaver. "A deciding vote on a school board decision. ... But I want to specifically say that my vote is no more important than any of these other gentlemen. No matter how I vote on contracts and salaries, somebody out there is going to be mad at me, disappointed and disgusted ... that's what makes decisions hard to come by. I do apologize for missing the last meeting. But I really feel that's been a good opportunity for me to give me a lot more time to analyze and think about what's best for Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation. ... But there is one thing I won't do and that's apologize for the way I vote, however I vote."
He said he won't vote to please the other board members and that he's not scared of or controlled by Boling. He said his decision should not be judged unless a person has walked in his shoes. Weaver said there are some nice things about Tippecanoe Valley Schools, but there are also some negative issues about the corporation.
"... My point is that you're going to see what you're looking for," he said. He moved to approve the salaries and contracts with the modifications.
In other business, the board:
• Approved the plan for operation of the cosmetology program by Huntington Beauty College.
• Approved the Warsaw Area Career Center agreement.
• Accepted a Dekko grant award for $672.16 and a Kosciusko Endowment Youth Services grant award for $3,108.98.
• Approved the Prime-Time Plan for using instructional assistants.
• Approved the application for staff development for 2000-01.
• Was notified of the Title I grant application, which will be for approximately $129,000 for the upcoming school year.
• Approved the addition of a technology associate.
• Approved returning money that was earmarked for a matching grant for the consumer economics department to the capital projects fund, except for $2,500, which will be used to purchase computers for computerized sewing machines.
• Approved a resolution to enter into agreement with Northern Indiana Educational Services Center Testing Consortium.
• Approved summer school contracts and summer recreation programs.
• Approved the textbook adoption.
TVSC board members are Fred McSherry, Bruce Andrews, Tom Weaver, Rod Eaton and Mark Wise.
